Electrical radiant heating panels



p 1968 G. P. DEACON 3,400,247

ELECTRICAL RADIANT HEATING PANELS Filed Oct. 12, 1965 INVENTOK 650265 2 652M044 United States Patent 3,400,247 ELECTRICAL RADIANT HEATING PANELS George P. Deacon, 158 Poplar St., Wheeling, W. Va. 26003 Filed Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,093 3 Claims. (Cl. 219-345) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plaster board having a plaster core, a layer of sheet material on each side of the core and an electric heating wire distributed through the core forms a heating panel. Positioned flush in the core is a junction box having removable top and bottom access plates covered over by the layers. A readily detectable but normally invisible indicating coating is provided on one layer at the location of the removable plate so that the box can be easily located even when the panel is installed. The heating wires are connected to a source of power by means of the wires extending through the other access plate of the box.

The present invention is concerned with an improvement in electrical radiant heating panels.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a combination radiant heating panel and wall board for use with similar wall boards for providing room ceilings and which wall boards can be safely, quickly and readily connected to an electrical circuit for receiving electrical currents therefrom and which panel includes a junction box as part thereof which boxes can be readily located for inspection purposes even when the panel is a part of a complete ceiling.

A further and important object of the present invention is to provide a flat relatively thin electrical radiant heating panel having a heating wire extending throughout the same connected to non-heating lead wires in such a manner that the heating Wires and lead wires will not be disconnected even though a considerable pull is placed upon either or both of these wires.

Further objects of the present invention will be in part pointed out and in part obvious from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of an electrical radiant heating panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top view of the junction box portion of the heating panel with a cover removed.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the junction box, and FIG. 5 is an illustrative perspective view of a portion of a room including the present heating panels in the ceiling thereof.

Refering now more particularly to the accompanying drawings wherein like and corresponding parts are indicated by similar reference characters numeral 1 generally indicates an electrical radiant heating panel having a sheet of gypsum plaster board 2 of a generally elongated, rectangular configuration, but which may be of various shapes or of various sizes as desired for any particular use. An electrical heating wire 3 as best shown in FIG. 1 extends in a serpentine pattern throughout the length and width of said plaster board. Said heating wire 3 may be of Nichrome resistance wire having a resistance sufficient to produce 2.55 watts per foot of wire and the amount of wattage to be provided by said wire can be determined by the amount of wire extending throughout said plaster board. The opposite ends of Wire 3 are connected to a pair of connectors 4 each of which in turn is connected ICC to one of the non-heating leads 5 and said connectors are crimped or compressed joining wires 3 and 5 together. The non-heating wires 5 each extend through one of the threaded nipples 6 extending from the opposite end walls 8 and 8a of the junction box generally indicated as 7.

Said junction box 7 is positioned entirely within a corresponding shaped opening within the plaster board 2 at one end portion of the heating panel as shown in FIG. 1. Said junction box has a pair of openings 9 each in the opposite end walls 8 and 8a of said junction box with a threaded nipple 6 extending through each of said openings. A pair of nuts are each mounted in threaded engagement with one of said threaded nipples 6 drawing the flanged ends 11 integral With each nipple against the inner side of the junction box end walls 8 and 8a. A pair of clamps are each mounted on one of said flanged ends 11 and retained by screws 13 extending through the clamps into threaded engagement with the flanged end 11 therebelow whereby each clamp grips and holds the non-heating lead 5 therebeneath.

Top 14 of the junction box has an opening with a recessed flange 15 extending laterally therefrom and therearound and which flange has threaded corner openings 16.

A cover plate 17 is shaped for fitting upon flange 15 and has corner openings 18 corresponding to flange openings 16 through which extend screws 18a into threaded connection with opening 16 for detachably retaining plate 17 flush with top 14. Said plate 17 has a punch-out plug 19 in the center thereof.

A second recessed flange 20 extends laterally from and around an opening in the bottom 14a of said junction box and has threaded corner openings 21 while a second cover plate 22 is shaped for fitting within bottom 1411 against flange 20 thus closing said junction box and being flush with bottom 14a. Said second plate has corner openings 23 corresponding to openings 21 in flange 20 through which screws 23a extend in threaded engagement with openings 21 for retaining said second plate against the junction box.

Thus top 14 and bottom 14a of said junction box are flush with the top and bottom faces of gypsum core of board 2. Said junction box 7 is retained within said gypsum board 2 by coating the sides of the junction box with electrical wax, conventional adhesive or wet plaster which when dry will retain the junction box within the plaster board.

A sheet 25 of paper, or paper board, extends completely across the upper face of the gypsum board 2 including top 14 and plate 17 of the junction box and is aflixed thereto by an adhesive or the like.

A sheet material 26 for example as paper board extends completely across the bottom face of said gypsum board 2 as well as bottom 14a and plate 22 of said junction box. Said sheet material 26 has coating material 26a, for example, such as a paint, varnish or other coating material containing a magnetic material such as iron filing compound or said coating 26a may contain a radioactive containing a minute amount of radium or uranium tracer capable of being detected by a Geiger-counter or may be a fluorescent material as, for example, fluorescin, cosin, sulfate or quinine, aesculin or other material suitable for such indicating purposes. It is to be appreciated coating 26a can as well be applied to the junction box 7 or plate 22 or the adjacent face of plaster board 2.

The present heating panel can be stored or shipped for use when constructed as hereinbefore described and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The panel board 1 when used to form a ceiling is afiixed in any conventional manner to the lower face of beams or joists by nails or the like fasteners (not shown) together with additional similar panels generally in the manner disclosed in FIG.

5 with said material 26 providing the bottom face of the ceiling. Plug 19 is removed from plate 17 and said plate temporarily detached from the junction box so that the clamp connector shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 can be added thereto. That is, the non-heating lead wires 5 are each joined by means of conventional plastic connectors 27 to wires 27a of an electrical circuit which wires extend through a threaded nipple 28 extending through the opening left by plug 19 while a nut 29 is in threaded engagement with said nipple on the inner face of plate 17 and said plate is reaffixed to the junction box by screws 18a. Said nipple has an integral flange 30 to which is affixed a clamp 31 by screws 32 and surrounds a cable 33 through which the circuit wires 27a extend.

Thus when electrical current is supplied to the circuit wires 27a and thus to the wires 5 and heating wires 3 a radiant heat is directed through the bottom face of sheet material 26 of the panel board.

It is to be apparent that when the panel boards are afiixed to form a ceiling as shown in FIG. 5 that it is difiicult to locate the various junction boxes of the various heating panels which is sometimes necessary for inspection purposes. Therefore, an inspector using an instrument 39 can direct the same towards the ceiling supported by the Walls 37 and 38, for locating the coating 36 around each junction box 7. For example, using a Geiger-counter as the instrument 39 he could detect the radioactive tracer material when used in coating 36 or a magnetic as instrument 39 for detecting coating 36 when it contains a magnetic material or instruments 39 may be electrical arc producer for locating material 26a when it is fluorescent or instrument 39 may be a thermopile or radiomicrometer for tracing the infra-red radiation from the heating wires 3 up to the block 7. Coat 26a may likewise be detected when it contains one of the alkali metals which would give off a photo-electric emission when subjected to ultra-violet rays from an instrument for pr0- ducing an electrical arc which can be used as the instrument 39.

Once a junction box 7 is thus located, an opening 35 can be cut in said material 26 and bottom plate 22 detached from the junction box exposing the interior thereof for inspection or repairs.

By using the clamp connectors 613 and 28-32, a 60 pound pull can be placed on the wires connected to the heating panel and yet the same will not be pulled loose. Further, said materials 25 and 26 also assist in retaining the junction box 7 in its position within the gypsum board 2 at all times and imparts considerable strength thereto.

As an example of a radiant heating panel according to the present invention a gypsum board 2 having a thickness of /2" or 4;" can be employed and a plastic fiber or metal junction box 7 can be used having a depth of /2", a length of 8" and a width of 2".

The present invention is capable of considerable modification and such changes thereto as come within the scope of the appended claims is deemed to be a part thereof.

I claim:

1. An electric heating panel board comprising a plaster board including a plaster core and a pair of covering layers of sheet material each attached to and covering one side of said plaster core, an electrical heating wire positioned in said plaster core, a junction box positioned in said plaster core and having an open top and bottom and side walls with bore therethrough, a pair of plates each detachably mounted on and closing said junction box open top and bottom and positioned flush with one of said plaster core sides and beneath one of said covering layers, at least one of said plates having a knock-out plug and non-heating wires each extending through one of said junction box side wall bores and connected to said heating wire.

2. An electric heating panel board comprising a plaster board including a plaster core and a pair of covering layers of sheet material each attached to and covering one side of said plaster core, an electrical heating wire positioned in said plaster core, a junction box positioned in said plaster core and having an open top and bottom and side walls with bores therethrough, a pair of plates each detachably mounted on and closing said junction box open top and bottom, one of said plates being positioned beneath one of said covering layers, the other of said plates having a knockout plug and non-heating wires each extending through one of said junction box side wall bores and connected to said heating wire.

3. An electric heating panel board as claimed in claim 2 wherein an indicating coating is provided on said one of said covering layers at the location of said one of said plates.

References Cited r ANTHONY BARTS, Primary Examiner. 

